WHO says Nipah virus spread risk low in India, no travel restriction needed

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the outbreak of the Nipah virus in India poses a “low risk” of spreading. It further stated that, as far as the current situation is concerned, there is no need to impose travel restrictions in the country.

The statement from the WHO, issued on Thursday (January 29), comes in the wake of two Nipah cases being reported in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Elaborating further, WHO stated that the cases are limited to the district, adding that there were no reports of travel while the patients were showing symptoms.

‘No evidence of increased human-to-human transmission’

“At this time, there is no evidence of increased human-to-human transmission. WHO assesses the risk at the sub-national level in West Bengal as moderate, given the presence of fruit bat reservoirs in the India–Bangladesh border areas and the possibility of sporadic zoonotic spillover. However, the national, regional, and global risk remains low,” stated WHO.

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“The cases are confined to the North 24 Parganas district, with no reported travel while symptomatic. All identified contacts have tested negative, and surveillance and infection prevention measures have been intensified. The likelihood of spread to other Indian states or internationally is considered low,” it added.

‘One patient critical’

The global health body further stated that India confirmed two cases of Nipah virus infection this month in the eastern state of West Bengal. It said that both the patients are 25-year-old nurses, a woman and a man, working at the same private hospital in Barasat, located in the North 24 Parganas district.

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“They developed initial symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which progressed rapidly to neurological complications. The two were placed in isolation in early January,” stated WHO.

“As of 21 January, the male patient is recovering, while the female patient remains in critical condition,” it added.

History of Nipah outbreaks in India

Nipah virus is defined by WHO as a zoonotic disease transmitted mainly from bats to humans, sometimes through contaminated food or close contact. With no licensed vaccine or treatment currently available, early detection, supportive care, and strong infection prevention measures remain essential.

According to the WHO, this is the seventh recorded outbreak of the Nipah virus in India and the third to be reported from West Bengal. Earlier outbreaks in the state were documented in Siliguri in 2001 and in Nadia in 2007. The districts affected in the current episode lie close to the Bangladesh border, where Nipah outbreaks are reported almost every year.

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Nipah virus is mainly transmitted from bats to humans, either through direct contact or by consuming contaminated food. Transmission can also occur from animals such as pigs to people, and in certain instances, through close and prolonged human-to-human contact, particularly in health-care settings.

In people, infection with the Nipah virus can present in a wide range of ways, from no visible symptoms to severe respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. “Globally, the case fatality rate is estimated to be between 40% and 75%, depending on early detection and quality of clinical care,” the WHO said.